Vividata

Vividata is a Toronto-based Canadian not-for-profit research organization focused on measuring media audiences and producing marketing intelligence, particularly for print publications. Its research is used by publishers, advertisers, media agencies, and marketers to understand readership, audience composition, media consumption, and consumer behavior in Canada. The organization was created in 2014 through the combination of two established Canadian audience-research bodies: the Print Measurement Bureau, commonly known as PMB, and the Newspaper Audience Databank, known as NADbank. The merger brought together organizations whose activities overlapped in the measurement of print readership and newspaper audiences. During the integration period, the merged entity temporarily operated under the name Amalco before adopting the Vividata name. Vividata’s institutional predecessor, PMB, had roots extending to 1973, when it conducted its first national print survey. PMB developed readership studies for a wide range of Canadian magazines and also conducted specialized research for particular sectors, including publications serving medical professionals. NADbank performed a related role for newspapers, gathering audience information used by the Canadian newspaper industry and its commercial partners. Vividata’s principal role is to provide standardized, research-based evidence about the reach and profile of media audiences. Its work supports decisions such as selecting media channels, comparing publications, evaluating audience segments, and demonstrating the value of print media to advertisers. The organization’s research is associated primarily with print readership, while its broader data and marketing work can also provide context about consumer behavior and cross-media use. The existing reference description identifies coverage extending across print and digital environments, as well as other media-related consumer data; the precise scope of individual products and releases may vary over time. In addition to its core audience-measurement activities, Vividata operates a custom syndicated survey division known as Vivintel. This division gives the organization a way to undertake or support research programs tailored to specific information needs, rather than limiting its work to a single general readership study. Vividata therefore occupies a specialized position in the Canadian media-research market: it is neither a media owner nor an advertising agency, but an independent research provider whose data can be used by both sides of the media marketplace. Vividata is best understood as the successor organization to PMB and NADbank rather than as a consumer-facing media brand. Its value lies in the credibility, comparability, and practical application of audience data. The organization’s Canadian focus distinguishes it from global measurement companies, while its historical connection to national print surveys gives it particular relevance in the evaluation of magazines and newspapers. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate international operating network, a stock-market listing, or a corporate parent.

Vividata’s history is rooted in the development of formal print-audience measurement in Canada. Its principal predecessor, the Print Measurement Bureau, began conducting national print research in 1973. PMB’s surveys were designed to estimate readership for magazines and other print publications sold in Canada. Over time, the organization also developed specialized studies for particular publishing sectors, including publications aimed at medical professionals. These activities created a common research base for publishers, advertisers, agencies, and marketers evaluating the reach and composition of Canadian print audiences. A second predecessor, the Newspaper Audience Databank, developed audience research focused on newspapers. NADbank’s work substantially overlapped with PMB’s broader print-measurement role, although its historical emphasis was the newspaper sector. Both organizations supplied data that helped media companies demonstrate audience value and helped advertisers compare potential placements. In 2014, PMB and NADbank merged. The combination was intended to consolidate related audience-research functions and create a single organization serving the Canadian print-media marketplace. During the transition, the merged entity was known temporarily as Amalco. It subsequently adopted the name Vividata, under which it continued the audience-measurement work associated with both predecessor organizations. The merger gave Vividata a combined institutional history spanning magazine readership, newspaper audiences, and specialized media research. Rather than operating as a publisher or broadcaster, Vividata functions as a research organization. Its outputs are intended to describe who consumes particular media, how large or engaged an audience may be, and how audience characteristics relate to marketing and consumer behavior. Vividata also maintains a custom syndicated survey division known as Vivintel. This part of the organization extends its capabilities beyond a single standard readership service by supporting research programs designed around specific market or industry questions. Public reference material describes Vividata primarily as a provider of impact and marketing data for Canadian print media. It also associates the organization with broader media and consumer data, although the details of current methodologies, products, release schedules, and channel coverage should be confirmed directly from the organization’s latest publications. The available sources do not identify a founder, chief executive, corporate parent, public listing, or major ownership change. They also do not establish operations outside Canada. Vividata’s continuing significance is therefore institutional and sector-specific: it is the successor to two long-running Canadian audience-research bodies and a specialized source of evidence for the planning, sale, and evaluation of media advertising.

1. 2014PMB and NADbank merge

   The Print Measurement Bureau and Newspaper Audience Databank combined their related Canadian print and newspaper audience-research activities. The merged body temporarily used the name Amalco.

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2. 2014The merged organization adopts the Vividata name

   Following the integration of PMB and NADbank, the organization began operating under the Vividata name.

   Source
3. 1973PMB conducts its first national print survey

   The Print Measurement Bureau, a principal predecessor of Vividata, conducted its first national print readership survey, establishing the organization’s long-running research tradition.

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A Canadian not-for-profit source of audience measurement and marketing intelligence, with particular expertise in print and newspaper readership.

• Vividata readership researchAudience measurement

  Vividata’s core research measures readership and audience characteristics for Canadian print media. The resulting information helps publishers, advertisers, agencies, and marketers assess reach, compare publications, identify audience segments, and support media-planning decisions. The service continues the readership-measurement role historically associated with PMB and is particularly relevant to magazines and other print publications.

• Newspaper audience researchAudience measurement

  This research activity reflects the newspaper-audience expertise inherited from NADbank. It provides information intended to help the newspaper sector and its commercial partners understand audience size, readership behavior, and audience profiles. The merger with PMB brought newspaper measurement into a broader organization serving the Canadian print-media market.

• VivintelCustom syndicated research

  Vivintel is Vividata’s custom syndicated survey division. It supports research designed around particular sector, market, or consumer-information requirements and extends the organization’s capabilities beyond its core standardized readership work. Publicly available reference material identifies the division but does not provide a complete current catalogue of its individual studies.

• 2014Consolidation of PMB and NADbankM&A

  The two predecessor organizations conducted related forms of Canadian print and newspaper audience research, creating substantial overlap in their activities.

  What changed. PMB and NADbank merged their operations. The resulting organization temporarily used the name Amalco before becoming Vividata.

  Aftermath. The merger created a consolidated not-for-profit research organization serving Canadian print-media measurement and marketing-data needs.

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• 2014Print Measurement Bureau and NADbank merge to form the organization that became Vividata

  The Print Measurement Bureau and Newspaper Audience Databank combined their overlapping Canadian print and newspaper audience-research activities. The merged organization initially used the temporary name Amalco and later adopted Vividata.

  M&A
  Source
• 2014Print Measurement Bureau and NADbank merge to create Vividata

  The Print Measurement Bureau and the Newspaper Audience Databank combined their overlapping Canadian print-audience research activities. The merged organization temporarily used the name Amalco before adopting the Vividata name.

  M&A
  Source

1. Vividata
2. Vividata official website